I have been involved in Family History and Genealogy since before I was born. One of my favorite pictures is of my mother getting ready for an afternoon of cemetery transcribing just four days before my birth!

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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

It's in my blood...

I have been involved in genealogy since way before my own birth. One of my favorite pictures is of my mother getting ready for an afternoon of cemetery transcribing just four days before I was born!

My parents were excellent genealogists, given the time they lived in. How well I remember the trips to the dusty courthouses and the cemeteries that were surely laden with snakes. They knew their extended relatives, some of which were born in the mid-1800's!

A couple of years after my mother died, my father made a trip to visit relatives in Kentucky. When he returned, he found only the front door and wall of his cabin standing. Lightning had struck the house and burned it to the ground while he was gone. My sisters and I helped him go through the remains of the house trying to salvage anything we could find. To our surprise, the only things that did surve were the genealogy, the photos, and a drawer that contained his underwear! The genealogy and the photos had been right up against the front wall - papers in a wooden cabinet! They suffered only a little bit of water and smoke damage.

My sisters and I continue on with the tracing of our family. The computer, the Internet, wonderful databases, and the ability to connect with relatives from around the world have made it so much easier work on our lines. My parents would have been utterly astounded.